January 16
Events *27 BC – Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus is granted the title Augustus by the Roman Senate, marking the beginning of the Roman Empire. * 378 – General Siyaj K'ak' conquers Tikal, enlarging the domain of King Spearthrower Owl of Teotihuacán. * 550 – Gothic War: The Ostrogoths, under King Totila, conquer Rome after a long siege, by bribing the Isaurian garrison. * 929 – Emir Abd-ar-Rahman III established the Caliphate of Córdoba. *1120 – The Council of Nablus is held, establishing the earliest surviving written laws of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem. *1362 – 'De Grote Mandrenke’ A storm tide in the North Sea ravages the East coast of England and destroys the German city of Rungholt on the island of Strand. *1412 – The Medici family is appointed official banker of the Papacy. *1492 – The first grammar of the Spanish language is presented to Queen Isabella I. *1547 – Ivan IV of Russia a.k.a. Ivan the Terrible becomes Czar of Russia. *1556 – Philip II becomes King of Spain. *1572 – Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk is tried for treason for his part in the Ridolfi plot to restore Catholicism in England. *1605 – The first edition of El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha (Book One of Don Quixote) by Miguel de Cervantes is published in Madrid, Spain. *1707 – The Scottish Parliament ratifies the Act of Union, paving the way for the creation of Great Britain. *1761 – The British capture Pondichéry, India from the French. *1780 – American Revolutionary War: Battle of Cape St. Vincent. *1786 – Virginia enacted the Statute for Religious Freedom authored by Thomas Jefferson. *1809 – Peninsular War: The British defeat the French at the Battle of La Coruña. *1847 – John C. Frémont is appointed Governor of the new California Territory. *1862 – Hartley Colliery disaster: Two hundred and four men and boys killed in a mining disaster, prompted a change in UK law which henceforth required all collieries to have at least two independent means of escape. *1878 – Russo-Turkish War (1877–78): Battle of Philippopolis: Captain Aleksandr Burago with a squadron of Russian Imperial army dragoons liberates Plovdiv from Ottoman rule. *1883 – The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, establishing the United States Civil Service, is passed. *1896 – Defeat of Cymru Fydd at South Wales Liberal Federation AGM, Newport, Monmouthshire. *1900 – The United States Senate accepts the Anglo-German treaty of 1899 in which the United Kingdom renounces its claims to the Samoan islands. *1909 – Ernest Shackleton's expedition finds the magnetic South Pole. *1919 – Temperance movement: The United States ratifies the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, authorizing Prohibition in the United States one year after ratification. *1920 – Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated was founded on the campus of Howard University. * 1920 – The League of Nations holds its first council meeting in Paris, France. *1921 – The Marxist Left in Slovakia and the Transcarpathian Ukraine holds its founding congress in Ľubochňa. *1924 – Eleftherios Venizelos becomes Prime Minister of Greece for the fourth time. *1938 – Benny Goodman and his band performed in concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City *1939 – The Irish Republican Army (IRA) begins a bombing and sabotage campaign in England. *1942 – Crash of TWA Flight 3, killing all 22 aboard, including film star Carole Lombard. *1945 – Adolf Hitler moves into his underground bunker, the so-called Führerbunker. *1964 – Hello, Dolly! opened on Broadway, beginning a run of 2,844 performances. *1969 – Czech student Jan Palach commits suicide by self-immolation in Prague, Czechoslovakia, in protest against the Soviets' crushing of the Prague Spring the year before. * 1969 – Soviet spacecraft Soyuz 4 and Soyuz 5 perform the first-ever docking of manned spacecraft in orbit, the first-ever transfer of crew from one space vehicle to another, and the only time such a transfer was accomplished with a space walk. *1970 – Buckminster Fuller receives the Gold Medal award from the American Institute of Architects. *1979 – The last Iranian Shah flees Iran with his family for good and relocates to Egypt. *1986 – First meeting of the Internet Engineering Task Force. *1991 – The Coalition Forces go to war with Iraq, beginning the Gulf War (U.S. Time). *1992 – El Salvador officials and rebel leaders sign the Chapultepec Peace Accords in Mexico City, Mexico ending the 12-year Salvadoran Civil War that claimed at least 75,000 lives. *2001 – Congolese President Laurent-Désiré Kabila is assassinated by one of his own bodyguards. * 2001 – US President Bill Clinton awards former President Theodore Roosevelt a posthumous Medal of Honor for his service in the Spanish–American War. *2002 – The UN Security Council unanimously establishes an arms embargo and the freezing of assets of Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda, and the remaining members of the Taliban. *2003 – The [[Space Shuttle Columbia|Space Shuttle Columbia]] takes off for mission STS-107 which would be its final one. Columbia disintegrated 16 days later on re-entry. *2006 – Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is sworn in as Liberia's new president. She becomes Africa's first female elected head of state. *2016 – 33 out of 126 freed hostages are injured and 23 killed in 2016 Ouagadougou attack in Burkina Faso. The attack was carried out on a hotel and a nearby restaurant in the capital. Births *1093 – Isaac Komnenos, Byzantine son of Alexios I Komnenos (d. 1152) *1245 – Edmund Crouchback, English politician, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports (d. 1296) *1362 – Robert de Vere, Duke of Ireland (d. 1392) *1409 – René of Anjou (d. 1480) *1477 – Johannes Schöner, German astronomer and cartographer (d. 1547) *1501 – Anthony Denny, English politician (d. 1549) *1516 – Bayinnaung, Burmese king (d. 1581) *1616 – François de Vendôme, Duke of Beaufort (d. 1669) *1626 – Lucas Achtschellinck, Belgian painter and educator (d. 1699) *1634 – Dorothe Engelbretsdatter, Norwegian author and poet (d. 1716) *1675 – Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon, French soldier and diplomat (d. 1755) *1691 – Peter Scheemakers, Belgian sculptor and educator (d. 1781) *1728 – Niccolò Piccinni, Italian composer and educator (d. 1800) *1749 – Vittorio Alfieri, Italian poet and playwright (d. 1803) *1757 – Richard Goodwin Keats, English admiral and politician, 3rd Commodore-Governor of Newfoundland (d. 1834) *1807 – Charles Henry Davis, American admiral (d. 1877) *1815 – Henry Halleck, American lawyer, general, and scholar (d. 1872) *1821 – John C. Breckinridge, American general and politician, 14th Vice President of the United States (d. 1875) *1834 – Robert R. Hitt, American lawyer and politician, 13th United States Assistant Secretary of State (d. 1906) *1836 – Francis II of the Two Sicilies (d. 1894) *1838 – Franz Brentano, German philosopher and psychologist (d. 1917) *1844 – Ismail Qemali, Albanian civil servant and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Albania (d. 1919) *1851 – William Hall-Jones, English-New Zealand politician, 16th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1936) *1853 – Johnston Forbes-Robertson, English actor and manager (d. 1937) * 1853 – Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton, Greek-English general (d. 1947) * 1853 – André Michelin, French businessman, co-founded the Michelin Tyre Company (d. 1931) *1855 – Eleanor Marx, English activist and author (d. 1898) *1870 – Jüri Jaakson, Estonian businessman and politician, State Elder of Estonia (d. 1942) *1872 – Henri Büsser, French organist, composer, and conductor (d. 1973) * 1872 – Edward Gordon Craig, English actor, director, and producer (d. 1966) *1874 – Robert W. Service, English-Canadian poet and author (d. 1958) *1875 – Leonor Michaelis, German biochemist and physician (d. 1947) *1876 – Claude Buckenham, English cricketer and footballer (d. 1937) *1878 – Harry Carey, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1947) *1880 – Samuel Jones, American high jumper (d. 1954) *1882 – Margaret Wilson, American author (d. 1973) *1885 – Zhou Zuoren, Chinese author and translator (d. 1967) *1887 – John Hamilton, American actor (d. 1958) *1893 – Daisy Kennedy, Australian-English violinist (d. 1981) *1894 – Irving Mills, American publisher (d. 1985) *1895 – Evripidis Bakirtzis, Greek soldier and politician (d. 1947) * 1895 – T. M. Sabaratnam, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician (d. 1966) * 1895 – Nat Schachner, American lawyer, chemist, and author (d. 1955) *1897 – Carlos Pellicer, Mexican poet and academic (d. 1977) *1898 – Margaret Booth, American producer and editor (d. 2002) * 1898 – Irving Rapper, American film director and producer (d. 1999) *1900 – Edith Frank, German-Dutch mother of Anne Frank (d. 1945) *1901 – Fulgencio Batista, Cuban colonel and politician, 9th President of Cuba (d. 1973) * 1901 – Frank Zamboni, American businessman, founded the Zamboni Company (d. 1988) *1902 – Eric Liddell, Scottish runner, rugby player, and missionary (d. 1945) *1903 – William Grover-Williams, English-French race car driver (d. 1945) *1905 – Ernesto Halffter, Spanish composer and conductor (d. 1989) *1906 – Johannes Brenner, Estonian footballer and pilot (d. 1975) * 1906 – Diana Wynyard, English actress (d. 1964) *1907 – Alexander Knox, Canadian-English actor and screenwriter (d. 1995) * 1907 – Paul Nitze, American banker and politician, 10th United States Secretary of the Navy (d. 2004) *1908 – Ethel Merman, American actress and singer (d. 1984) * 1908 – Günther Prien, German captain (d. 1941) *1910 – Dizzy Dean, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 1974) *1911 – Eduardo Frei Montalva, Chilean lawyer and politician, 28th President of Chile (d. 1982) * 1911 – Roger Lapébie, French cyclist (d. 1996) *1914 – Roger Wagner, French-American conductor and educator (d. 1992) *1915 – Leslie H. Martinson, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2016) *1916 – Philip Lucock, English-Australian minister and politician (d. 1996) *1917 – Carl Karcher, American businessman, founded Carl's Jr. (d. 2008) *1918 – Nel Benschop, Dutch poet and educator (d. 2005) * 1918 – Allan Ekelund, Swedish director, producer, and production manager (d. 2009) * 1918 – Clem Jones, Australian surveyor and politician, 8th Lord Mayor of Brisbane (d. 2007) * 1918 – Stirling Silliphant, American screenwriter and producer (d. 1996) *1919 – Jerome Horwitz, American chemist and academic (d. 2012) *1920 – Alberto Crespo, Argentinian race car driver (d. 1991) * 1920 – Elliott Reid, American actor and screenwriter (d. 2013) *1921 – Francesco Scavullo, American photographer (d. 2004) *1923 – Anton-Günther, Duke of Oldenburg (d. 2014) * 1923 – Gene Feist, American director and playwright, co-founded the Roundabout Theatre Company (d. 2014) * 1923 – Anthony Hecht, American soldier, poet, and academic (d. 2004) * 1923 – Keith Shackleton, English painter and television host (d. 2015) *1924 – Katy Jurado, Mexican actress (d. 2002) *1925 – Peter Hirsch, German-English metallurgist and academic * 1925 – James Robinson Risner, American general and pilot (d. 2013) *1926 – O. P. Nayyar, Indian director and composer (d. 2007) *1928 – William Kennedy, American journalist, historian, and author * 1928 – Pilar Lorengar, Spanish soprano and actress (d. 1996) *1929 – Stanley Jeyaraja Tambiah, Sri Lankan anthropologist and academic (d. 2014) *1930 – Mary Ann McMorrow, American lawyer and judge (d. 2013) * 1930 – Norman Podhoretz, American journalist and author * 1930 – Paula Tilbrook, English actress *1931 – John Enderby, English physicist and academic * 1931 – Robert L. Park, American physicist and academic * 1931 – Johannes Rau, German journalist and politician, 8th Federal President of Germany (d. 2006) *1932 – Victor Ciocâltea, Romanian chess player (d. 1983) * 1932 – Dian Fossey, American zoologist and anthropologist (d. 1985) *1933 – Susan Sontag, American author and playwright (d. 2004) *1934 – Marilyn Horne, American soprano and actress *1935 – A. J. Foyt, American race car driver * 1935 – Udo Lattek, German footballer, manager, and sportscaster (d. 2015) *1936 – Michael White, Scottish actor and producer (d. 2016) *1937 – Luiz Bueno, Brazilian race car driver (d. 2011) * 1937 – Francis George, American cardinal (d. 2015) *1938 – Infante Carlos, Duke of Calabria (d. 2015) * 1938 – Jô Soares, Brazilian comedian, actor, and talk show host * 1938 – Marina Vaizey, American journalist and critic *1939 – Ralph Gibson, American photographer *1941 – Christine Truman, English tennis player and sportscaster *1942 – René Angélil, Canadian singer and manager (d. 2016) * 1942 – Barbara Lynn, American singer-songwriter and guitarist *1943 – Gavin Bryars, English bassist and composer * 1943 – Brian Ferneyhough, English-American composer and academic * 1943 – Ronnie Milsap, American singer and pianist *1944 – Dieter Moebius, Swiss-German keyboard player and producer (d. 2015) * 1944 – Jim Stafford, American singer-songwriter and actor * 1944 – Jill Tarter, American astronomer and biologist * 1944 – Judy Baar Topinka, American journalist and politician (d. 2014) *1945 – Wim Suurbier, Dutch footballer and manager *1946 – Katia Ricciarelli, Italian soprano and actress *1947 – Elaine Murphy, Baroness Murphy, English academic and politician * 1947 – Magdalen Nabb, English author and educator (d. 2007) * 1947 – Harvey Proctor, English politician * 1947 – Laura Schlessinger, American physiologist, talk show host, and author *1948 – John Carpenter, American director, producer, screenwriter, and composer * 1948 – Ants Laaneots, Estonian general * 1948 – Dalvanius Prime, New Zealand singer-songwriter (d. 2002) * 1948 – Ruth Reichl, American journalist and critic *1949 – Anne F. Beiler, American businesswoman, founded Auntie Anne's * 1949 – R. F. Foster, Irish historian and academic * 1949 – Andrew Refshauge, Australian physician and politician, 13th Deputy Premier of New South Wales *1950 – Debbie Allen, American actress, dancer, and choreographer * 1950 – Robert Schimmel, American comedian, actor, and producer (d. 2010) * 1950 – Damo Suzuki, Japanese singer and guitarist *1952 – Piercarlo Ghinzani, Italian race car driver and manager * 1952 – L. Blaine Hammond, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut * 1952 – Julie Anne Peters, American engineer and author *1953 – Robert Jay Mathews, American militant, founded The Order (d. 1984) *1954 – Wolfgang Schmidt, German discus thrower * 1954 – Vasili Zhupikov, Russian footballer and coach (d. 2015) *1955 – Jerry M. Linenger, American captain, physician, and astronaut *1956 – Martin Jol, Dutch footballer and manager * 1956 – Ivan Safronov, Russian journalist and engineer (d. 2007) * 1956 – Greedy Smith, Australian singer-songwriter and keyboardist *1957 – Jurijs Andrejevs, Latvian footballer and manager * 1957 – Ricardo Darín, Argentinian actor, director, and screenwriter * 1957 – Mark Pawsey, English businessman and politician *1958 – Andriy Bal, Ukrainian footballer and coach (d. 2014) * 1958 – Anatoli Boukreev, Russian mountaineer and explorer (d. 1997) * 1958 – Lena Ek, Swedish lawyer and politician, 9th Swedish Minister for the Environment * 1958 – Marla Frazee, American author and illustrator * 1958 – Tony Pulis, Welsh footballer and manager * 1958 – Andris Šķēle, Latvian businessman and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Latvia *1959 – Sade, Nigerian-English singer-songwriter and producer * 1959 – Lisa Milroy, Canadian painter and educator *1961 – Paul Raven, English bass player (d. 2007) * 1961 – Kenneth Sivertsen, Norwegian guitarist and composer (d. 2006) *1962 – Joel Fitzgibbon, Australian electrician and politician, 51st Australian Minister of Defence * 1962 – Maxine Jones, American singer-songwriter and actress * 1962 – John T. Riedl, American computer scientist and academic (d. 2013) * 1962 – Paul Webb, English bass player *1963 – James May, English journalist and television host * 1964 – Deyan Nedelchev, Bulgarian singer-songwriter *1965 – Jill Sobule, American singer-songwriter and guitarist *1967 – Shim Hye-jin, South Korean actress *1968 – Rebecca Stead, American author *1969 – Neil Back, English rugby player and coach * 1969 – Marinus Bester, German footballer * 1969 – Stevie Jackson, Scottish guitarist and songwriter * 1969 – Per "Dead" Ohlin, Swedish singer-songwriter (d. 1991) *1970 – Ron Villone, American baseball player and coach *1971 – Sergi Bruguera, Spanish tennis player and coach * 1971 – Josh Evans, American film producer, screenwriter and actor * 1971 – Jonathan Mangum, American actor, producer, and screenwriter *1972 – Ruben Bagger, Danish footballer * 1972 – Ang Christou, Australian footballer * 1972 – Yuri Alekseevich Drozdov, Russian footballer and manager * 1972 – Ezra Hendrickson, Vincentian footballer and manager * 1972 – Joe Horn, American football player and coach *1974 – Marlon Anderson, American baseball player and sportscaster * 1974 – Brent Hinds, American singer-songwriter and guitarist * 1974 – John Hopoate, Tongan-Australian rugby league player and boxer * 1974 – Kate Moss, English model and fashion designer *1976 – Viktor Maslov, Russian race car driver * 1976 – Martina Moravcová, Slovak swimmer *1977 – Jeff Foster, American basketball player *1978 – Alfredo Amézaga, Mexican baseball player *1979 – Aaliyah, American singer and actress (d. 2001) * 1979 – Brenden Morrow, Canadian ice hockey player * 1979 – Jason Ward, Canadian ice hockey player *1980 – Lin-Manuel Miranda, American actor, playwright, and composer * 1980 – Albert Pujols, Dominican-American baseball player *1981 – Jamie Lundmark, Canadian ice hockey player * 1981 – Paul Rofe, Australian cricketer * 1981 – Nick Valensi, American guitarist * 1981 – Bobby Zamora, English footballer *1982 – Preston, English singer-songwriter * 1982 – Tuncay Şanlı, Turkish footballer *1983 – Emanuel Pogatetz, Austrian footballer * 1983 – Andriy Rusol, Ukrainian footballer *1984 – Stephan Lichtsteiner, Swiss footballer * 1984 – Miroslav Radović, Serbian footballer * 1984 – Jared Slingerland, Canadian guitarist * 1984 – Kurt Travis, American singer-songwriter *1985 – Joe Flacco, American football player * 1985 – Jayde Herrick, Australian cricketer * 1985 – Gintaras Januševičius, Russian-Lithuanian pianist * 1985 – Jonathan Richter, Danish footballer *1986 – Johannes Rahn, German footballer * 1986 – Mark Trumbo, American baseball player * 1986 – Reto Ziegler, Swiss footballer *1987 – Charlotte Henshaw, English swimmer *1988 – Nicklas Bendtner, Danish footballer * 1988 – Jorge Torres Nilo, Mexican footballer *1991 – Matt Duchene, Canadian ice hockey player *1993 – Hannes Anier, Estonian footballer * 1993 – Amandine Hesse, French tennis player *1994 – Charlotte Best, Australian model and actress *1995 – Mikaela Turik, Australian-Canadian cricketer Deaths * 654 – Gao Jifu, Chinese politician, Chancellor of the Tang dynasty (b. 596) * 957 – Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ali al-Madhara'i, Egyptian politician (b. 871) * 970 – Polyeuctus of Constantinople *1327 – Nikephoros Choumnos, Byzantine monk, scholar, and politician (b. 1250) *1387 – Elizabeth of Bosnia (b. 1339) *1400 – John Holland, 1st Duke of Exeter, English politician, Lord Great Chamberlain (b. 1352) *1545 – George Spalatin, German priest and reformer (b. 1484) *1547 – Johannes Schöner, German astronomer and cartographer (b. 1477) *1554 – Christiern Pedersen, Danish publisher and scholar (b. 1480) *1585 – Edward Clinton, 1st Earl of Lincoln, English admiral and politician (b. 1512) *1592 – John Casimir of the Palatinate-Simmern (b. 1543) *1595 – Murad III, Ottoman sultan (b. 1546) *1659 – Charles Annibal Fabrot, French lawyer (b. 1580) *1710 – Emperor Higashiyama of Japan (b. 1675) *1711 – Joseph Vaz, Indian-Sri Lankan priest and saint (b. 1651) *1747 – Barthold Heinrich Brockes, German poet and playwright (b. 1680) *1748 – Arnold Drakenborch, Dutch lawyer and scholar (b. 1684) *1750 – Ivan Trubetskoy, Russian field marshal and politician (b. 1667) *1752 – Francis Blomefield, English historian and author (b. 1705) *1794 – Edward Gibbon, English historian and politician (b. 1737) *1809 – John Moore, Scottish general and politician (b. 1761) *1817 – Alexander J. Dallas, Jamaican-American lawyer and politician, 6th United States Secretary of the Treasury (b. 1759) *1834 – Jean Nicolas Pierre Hachette, French mathematician and academic (b. 1769) *1856 – Thaddeus William Harris, American entomologist and botanist (b. 1795) *1864 – Anton Schindler, Austrian secretary and author (b. 1795) *1865 – Edmond François Valentin About, French journalist and author (b. 1828) *1879 – Octave Crémazie, Canadian-French poet and bookseller (b. 1827) *1886 – Amilcare Ponchielli, Italian composer and academic (b. 1834) *1891 – Léo Delibes, French pianist and composer (b. 1836) *1898 – Charles Pelham Villiers, English lawyer and politician (b. 1802) *1901 – Jules Barbier, French poet and playwright (b. 1825) * 1901 – Arnold Böcklin, Swiss painter and academic (b. 1827) * 1901 – Hiram Rhodes Revels, American soldier, minister, and politician (b. 1822) *1906 – Marshall Field, American businessman and philanthropist, founded Marshall Field's (b. 1834) *1917 – George Dewey, American admiral (b. 1837) *1919 – Francisco de Paula Rodrigues Alves, Brazilian lawyer and politician, 5th President of Brazil (b. 1848) *1920 – Reginald De Koven, American composer and critic (b. 1859) *1933 – Bekir Sami Kunduh, Turkish politician (b. 1867) *1938 – Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay Indian author and playwright (b. 1876) *1942 – Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (b. 1850) * 1942 – Villem Grünthal-Ridala, Estonian poet and linguist (b. 1885) * 1942 – Carole Lombard, American actress (b. 1908) * 1942 – Ernst Scheller, German lawyer and politician, Mayor of Marburg (b. 1899) *1957 – Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone, English general and politician, 16th Governor General of Canada (b. 1874) * 1957 – Arturo Toscanini, Italian cellist and conductor (b. 1867) *1959 – Phan Khôi, Vietnamese journalist and author (b. 1887) *1960 – Arthur Darby, English rugby player (b. 1876) *1961 – Max Schöne, German swimmer (b. 1880) *1962 – Frank Hurley, Australian photographer, director, producer, and cinematographer (b. 1885) * 1962 – Ivan Meštrović, Croatian sculptor and architect, designed the Monument to the Unknown Hero (b. 1883) *1967 – Robert J. Van de Graaff, American physicist and academic (b. 1901) *1968 – Bob Jones, Sr., American evangelist, founded Bob Jones University (b. 1883) * 1968 – Panagiotis Poulitsas, Greek archaeologist and judge (b. 1881) *1969 – Vernon Duke, Russian-American composer and songwriter (b. 1903) *1971 – Philippe Thys, Belgian cyclist (b. 1890) *1972 – Teller Ammons, American soldier and politician, 28th Governor of Colorado (b. 1895) * 1972 – Ross Bagdasarian, Sr., American singer-songwriter, pianist, producer, and actor, created Alvin and the Chipmunks (b. 1919) *1973 – Edgar Sampson, American musician and composer (1907) *1975 – Israel Abramofsky, Russian-American painter (b. 1888) *1978 – A. V. Kulasingham, Sri Lankan journalist, lawyer, and politician (b. 1890) *1979 – Ted Cassidy, American giant and actor (b. 1932) *1985 – Robert Fitzgerald, American poet, critic, and translator (b. 1910) *1986 – Herbert W. Armstrong, American evangelist, author, and publisher (b. 1892) *1987 – Bertram Wainer, Australian physician and activist (b. 1928) *1988 – Andrija Artuković, Croatian politician, war criminal, and Porajmos perpetrator, 1st Minister of Interior of the Independent State of Croatia (b. 1899) *1995 – Eric Mottram, English poet and critic (b. 1924) *1996 – Marcia Davenport, American author and critic (b. 1903) * 1996 – Kaye Webb, English journalist and publisher (b. 1914) *1999 – Jim McClelland, Australian lawyer, jurist, and politician, 12th Minister for Industry and Science (b. 1915) *2000 – Will "Dub" Jones, American singer (b. 1928) * 2000 – Robert R. Wilson, American physicist and academic (b. 1914) *2001 – Auberon Waugh, English author and journalist (b. 1939) *2002 – Robert Hanbury Brown, English astronomer and physicist (b. 1916) * 2002 – Bobo Olson, American boxer (b. 1928) *2003 – Richard Wainwright, English politician (b. 1918) *2004 – Kalevi Sorsa, Finnish politician 34th Prime Minister of Finland (b. 1930) *2005 – Marjorie Williams, American journalist and author (b. 1958) *2006 – Stanley Biber, American soldier and physician (b. 1923) *2007 – Benny Parsons, American race car driver and sportscaster (b. 1941) *2009 – Joe Erskine, American boxer and runner (b. 1930) * 2009 – John Mortimer, English lawyer and author (b. 1923) * 2009 – Andrew Wyeth, American painter (b. 1917) *2010 – Glen Bell, American businessman, founded Taco Bell (b. 1923) * 2010 – Jyoti Basu, Indian lawyer and politician, 9th Chief Minister of West Bengal (b. 1914) * 2010 – Takumi Shibano, Japanese author and translator (b. 1926) *2012 – Joe Bygraves, Jamaican-English boxer (b. 1931) * 2012 – Jimmy Castor, American singer-songwriter and saxophonist (b. 1940) * 2012 – Sigursteinn Gíslason, Icelandic footballer and manager (b. 1968) * 2012 – Lorna Kesterson, American journalist and politician (b. 1925) * 2012 – Gustav Leonhardt, Dutch pianist, conductor, and musicologist (b. 1928) *2013 – Wayne D. Anderson, American baseball player and coach (b. 1930) * 2013 – André Cassagnes, French technician and toy maker, created the Etch A Sketch (b. 1926) * 2013 – Gussie Moran, American tennis player and sportscaster (b. 1923) * 2013 – Pauline Phillips, American journalist and radio host, created Dear Abby (b. 1918) * 2013 – Glen P. Robinson, American businessman, founded Scientific Atlanta (b. 1923) *2014 – Gary Arlington, American author and illustrator (b. 1938) * 2014 – Ruth Duccini, American actress (b. 1918) * 2014 – Wiley W. Hilburn, American journalist and academic (b. 1938) * 2014 – Russell Johnson, American actor (b. 1924) * 2014 – Dave Madden, Canadian-American actor (b. 1931) * 2014 – Hiroo Onoda, Japanese lieutenant (b. 1922) * 2014 – Bud Spangler, American drummer, composer, and producer (b. 1938) *2015 – Miriam Akavia, Polish-Israeli author and translator (b. 1927) * 2015 – Ian Athfield, New Zealand architect (b. 1940) *2016 – Joannis Avramidis, Greek sculptor (b. 1922) * 2016 – Ted Marchibroda, American football player and coach (b. 1931) Holidays and observances *Christian feast day: **Berard of Carbio **Blaise (Armenian Apostolic) **Fursey **Joseph Vaz **Honoratus of Arles **Pope Marcellus I **Titian of Oderzo **January 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) **Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (Coptic Church) *Zuuruku Nichi (Okinawa Islands, Japan) *National Nothing Day (United States) *National Religious Freedom Day (United States) *Teachers' Day (Thailand) *Teacher's Day (Myanmar) *Thiruvalluvar Day (Tamil Nadu, India) External links * BBC: On This Day * * Today in Canadian History Category:Days of the year Category:January